Tube-making machine



F. H. sToIP.`

TUBE` MAKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 05018. |919.

j 1,388,903 PantedAugI-I, 1921.

swims-SHEET I.

IIIIlmTIIIi'lIIIII a4 TTORNE Y F. Hl STOLP.

TUBE MAKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED Dems, |919.

Patented Aug. 3o, v1921.

3 SHEETS-.SHEET 2.

F. H.v STOLP.

' TUBE MAKING MACHINE. APPLICATIQN F-ILED DEc.18, 1919.

PatentedvAug. 30, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

az Z253 I QWM UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

n; sronr, or GENEVA, NEW 'rome .etssreurroit To strom eo., nrc., oremmva.;

NEW YORK, A coaroimfrron or NEW Yoitx.

TUBE-MAKING iiiiicinini. i s

Specicationof Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 30, 1921 4Applicatioii filed December 18, 1919. Serial 110,645,795.

To all whom t may concern." Be it known that I, FRANK H. Sironi, of Geneva, in the county of Ontario and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tube-Mak'- ing Machinesfand' I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact de- -svcription of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the reference numerals marked thereoin My present invention relates to manufacture of metal tubes and tube-like structures and it has for its object to provide a-simple andeiiicient automatic machine that willcut the tube blanks from a continuous strip and form and deliver the tubes' complete with rapidity and precision. To these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel l 5, andI features being ypointed out in the claims at the end1 of the f' specification.

In the drawings: F'gure 1 is ya side view o`f a tube making machine constructed in accordance with and illustrating one embodiment of my invention; K

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof with the driving gear partl broken away; Fig. 3 is an e arged fragmentary side view of one end of the machine, showing the parts in different positions from those shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a top shownl in Fig. 3;

Fig-5 is a further enlarged detail, longitudinal section taken on the line 5- 5 of plan view of the elements Fig. 4; ig. 6 is a fragmentary transverse section further enlarged taken on the line 6-6 of ig.' 7 is atransverse section through the seam forming dies, enlarged, on the line 7-7 of Fig. 5; "-'11 F'g. 8 is a transverse section through the -feed clutch taken on the line 8-8 of Fig;

- Fig. 9 is an enlarged transverse section through the mandrel showing the completed i', tube in place thereon. l

, Similar reference numerals throughout the severalviews indicate the same parts.

This invention' is an improvement u on 71,327,641, dated January 13, 1920, and substantially the same general method of con- *structingl the tubeis employed herein and,

brieiiy described, consists in bending a blank strip transversely into a'U-shaped or seni tubular form; presenting it to`a mandrel having a shoulder thereon to engage its end edge and .thrusting the mandrel through a guide having the form of the desired tube and provided with dies that engage the free edges of the blank and form, interlock and compress the seam. In the practice of the present invention, feed the lmaterial to the machine in a continuous strip by means of a friction clutch; sever a blank of the desired length; thrust it from the receiving or work guide 4by means of a forming die into the mandrel guide, simultaneously .giving 1t its semi-tubular form, and then thrust -the mandrel andblank through the dies, the

clutch, severing device, bending die andr mandrel operating in timed relation from the same driving element.

In the present embodiment of the invention, i

the machine comprises a frame consisting of a bed l supported on legs 2 and provided with a bracket 3 at one end supportin the bearings of a pulley shaft 4 and p ey 5 constituting the driving connection "from the source of power. The usual idle pulley 6 is-'also provided and a belt shipper 7 At one end of the shaft 4 is a gear 8 meshing with and driving a toothed cam wheel 9 on a shaft 10 supported in bearings 11 on the frame. This last mentioned shaft and cam .wheel operate the various instrumentalities above referred to and hereinafter explained.

Mounted on the center of thebed are the associated 'die blocks 12 and`13 containing a continuous guideway -14 (Fig. 5) for a reciprocating mandrel 15 Vhaving the retracted position shown in this: ligure. The die block 12 is also provided above the guide 14 with a work guide 16 shown insection in Fi 6 that is in ,communication therewith. This work guide 16 is in alinement with a work guide 17 formed partl by a bridge piece 18 and'partly by the ront rail of a frame 19 in connection with a transverse guide wall 2Q. Thisl brid e piece and the frame support a fixedv ba clutch 21 that rests on the former in a box 22 having an inclined wedging face 23. The ball is urged I 55 thel machine ldisclosed in my Patent o. tov a wedging position by a plate 24 mount-L against which the ball 28 acts.

The machine is fed from a sheet metal strip 32 wound into `a roll 33 resting in` a semi-cylindrical/box 34 having roller bearings 35 upon which the roll rides at its periphery as it is unwound. The strip is led from the roll beneath the frame 19;

between the traveling clutch elements `28 and 31; between the'xed clutchl elements 21 and 18 and through the guide 17. The traveling clutch is reciprocated to feed one blank len th 0f material forward and then return i .y While the fixed clutch is holding the strip, by a crank arm 36 pivoted to the frame at 37 and connected to the box 22a of the traveling clutch by a link 38 ivsions 56 thereon provide guides for the ot'ed to an eye 39 secured to said box. he

` crank arm is vibratedby a pitman 40 pivoted thereto at 41 and connected to a crank pin 42 atits other end, said crank pin be- -ing carried on a small wheel 43 on the shaft 10. The blank' or portion of the stripso fed occupies' the guideway 16 in the die block 12 and is severed by a verticallyreciprocatin knife 44 operating between the guide wal sk 20 and 45 in coperation with a` blade 46 arranged beneathl the ideway 17. The knife is actuated in time relation to the feeding of the strip by a curved arm 446 the upper end of which is bolted rigidly thereto at 47. The lower end, is slottedto receive the pin 48' on a rock arm 49 on a shaft 50 extending transversely thi-'ou h the frame, as shown in .dotted lines in igs. 1 and 3. The shaft 50 is rocked by a crank arm connection 51 at 52 with a pitman 53 the opposite end of which carries a bearing 54 running on an eccentric 55- on the shaft 10.

The severed blank is now in the guideway 16 'o'f the dieblock 132;' Upward extenshank 57 of an elongated bending die 58 normally held above the guideway 16 by a spring 59 seated in a pocket 60 in the extension's 56 and in a central cutaway portion 61 of the die shank 57. In its downward movement, this die 58 transfers the severed blank from the work guide 16 to the die guide 14 in which the mandrel 15 operates and at the saine time bends it to a semi-tubular form. The die is actuated following the severing operationby an arm Y 62 pivoted at 63 on a bracket arm 64 on the frame of the machine. Y This arm 62has a iooso pivoioi ooooootioofwah tho dio honk at 64a and the other end is provided with a roller 65 running in acam track '66 on the cam wheel 9.

After the die hasrisen (the spread lateral edges of the blank being retained by shoulders 66 within the guideway 14, Fig. 6) the mandrel 15 moves forwardly into Vthe guide 14 and to a position within the partially formed blank. A shoulder 67 on the mandrel abuts the lowerend edge of the blank and is accommodated within a similarly formed lower extension 68 of the guideway 14. This thrusts the blank through the die blocks 12 and 13, the latter o f which, asV shown in Fig. 7, carries creasing dies 69,

70 and 71 secured thereto by 72 and of such conformation as to progressively act to form, engage and flatten the seam 73 shown in Fig. 9 on the finished tube 74. The mandrel is actuated by a connecting rod 75 having a bearing on a Wrist pin 76 on a cross head 77 guided on the bed and hav-A ing a bearing 78 on a crank pin carried by an extension 79 o f the cam wheel 9.

I claim as my inventionz 1. Ina tube forming machine, the combiv nation `with a bed, aguideway rovided with tube forming dies and a man .el Voperating in the guideway and provided with a shoulder to engage the end of the blank and thrust it-through the dies, of a work guide extending longitudinally o f the die guide and communicating therewith, means for' feeding'the blank therethrou h and means for thrusting a blank from into the die guide between the dies and the mandrel.

2. In a tube nationwith a bed, a guidewaylvided w ith tube forming dies and a man A operat in the guidewa and provided with a sho der to en ge t e end of the` blankI and thrust it througiathe dies,- of a work guide extending longitudinally of the die guide 'andcommunicating therewith, means for/feeding a formin machine, the.' conibi 100 e work guide o los continuous stripof metal therethrough, a

Severin device' adapted to cut a blank of the desired en h from the strip, and means for thrusting t e blank from the work guide into the'die guide' between the dies andthe. mam

drel. 4 s 3. -In a tube forming machine, the combination with a bed, a guideway rovided with tube forming dies and a man D operat in the guideway-and provided with a sho der to en agel the end of the blank. and thrust it t rough the'dies, of a work guide extending longitudinally of the die gmde and communicating therewith, means for feeding a continuous st of metal therethrough, a severing device adapted to cnt a blank of the desired l from the strip and a bending die mova le transversel in both guideways to bendthe severed b ank iis into semi-tubular form and thrust it into the d1e guide.

4. In a Vtube forming machine, the combination `with a bed, a guideWay provided with tube forming dies,-a mandrel operating in the guideway and provided with a shoulder to engage theend of the blank and thrust it through the dies, and a Work guide eX- tendingwlongitudinally of the die guide and communicating therewith, of a reciprocating clutch for feeding a continuous metal strip through the Work guide, a

Severin device adapted to cut a blank of the'deslred length from the strip, a bend' ing die movable transversely in both guide- Ways to bend the severed blank into semitubularl form and thrust it into the die guide, a rotary element on the bed and crank connections from the rotary element to the clutch, severing device and bending die for operating them successively in timed relation.

5. In a dtube forming machine, the combination with a guidevvay provided With ltube forming dies and a mandrel adapted to thrust a4 blank through the guideway, of a 'Work guide, a carriage provided with a ball clutch adapted to feed a continuous strip of metal through the wor-k guide in the direction of thrust of the mandrel and a guide for the carriage having a longitudinal slot for confining the ball of the ball clutch.

.FRANK H. sToLP. 

